


Death Itself Was Undone

by CapriciousUke, Unsub AaronxSpencer (CapriciousUke)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Aaron gets around, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Depressants, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF Spencer Reid, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Spencer Reid, Boss/Employee Relationship, Bottom Spencer Reid, Canon-Typical Violence, Cosplay, Dark Past, Depression, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Future Sexual Content, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Kidnapping, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Multiple Cases, Original Character(s), Other, Permanent Injury, Polyamory, Possessive Aaron Hotchner, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Scars, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Small Crossovers, Social Anxiety, Strangulation, Suicidal Thoughts, Switching, Team as Family, Top Aaron Hotchner, Trust Issues, keeping secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-18 04:32:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8149216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciousUke/pseuds/CapriciousUke, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciousUke/pseuds/Unsub%20AaronxSpencer
Summary: All her life Sarah Townshend has been a magnet for trouble, making her question why she wanted to become an FBI agent in the first place. It seems joining the BAU has caused every UnSub to chase after her. Case fic, multiple UnSubs, & slow development. SpencerxOc & AaronxOc.





	1. A New Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first serious Criminal Minds fanfic and so characters may be ooc. The time period is roughly around Season 7 and the year is 2012 but I've changed some things around. The OC has extreme social anxiety which will be portrayed by my own experiences.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and this is solely a work for fun. I'm also winging the profiling as well, so I'm making up 'facts' so don't take it too seriously.
> 
> Unbeta'd

The sun rose in early morning; the sky in it's dark shade of blue kissing lazy, fluffy clouds. There was a soft, nice breeze that felt relaxing on skin and the wind swept fallen leaves to dance in loops. It was mid-October and children couldn't wait for Halloween while their older siblings were eager to wear warm sweaters in chilly weather that only happened this time of the year.

Luckily, the BAU team did not have a case and one by one they began arriving to work through the glass doors of the bullpen. As expected, Aaron Hotchner, the BAU chief, had been the first to arrive early in the morning before dawn. The team had commented that this was humanly impossible to do daily, and wondered how Hotchner had kept up the routine for the past seven years. Next came in Spencer Reid, the youngest on the team, who was wearing one of his favorite sweater vests and carrying a cup of coffee with a little too much sugar in it to help keep him awake. Next arrived Emily Prentiss and one by one the rest of the team walked in in random order. The team members headed towards their stations and started up their computers, beginning a boring but relaxing day in the bullpen; a rare occasion not spent stress-fully chasing UnSubs. They asked each other how their weekends were and tried not to talk too much in case Erin Strauss decided to spend a surprise visit.

Around lunchtime, everyone began getting ready for break and Reid was halfway writing reports when a young brunette woman walked through the doors of the bullpen, carrying a box. She stopped and hesitated for a moment as the profilers in the room looked at her, curiously. Her most noticeable features were her youthfulness and purple glasses, revealing her big, brown eyes. Her thick hair reached her shoulders and glowed a red shine when light fell in the right angles; her right fringe covering most of her right eyebrow. She was wearing a white buttoned-down shirt loosely tucked into the front of a dark-purple cotton skirt that stopped above her knees; brown flats each held by a small belt wrapped around the ankle so they wouldn't fall off her feet; and over her small chest was a brown strap attached to a satchel hanging from her right.

The woman looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear, her bangs escaping to the front of her face. She continued walking in a faster pace, up the stairs to Hotch's office, and pass Penelope who was heading towards her team members for lunch break. As the unnamed woman passed, Penelope gaped at her and even turned around to stare at her retreating back. She hurried down the stairs.

"Did you guys just see that?" she asked excitedly, stopping in front of Derek's desk.

"Yeah baby girl. I don't remember any announcement from Strauss that we were going to be seeing a new face around here." Derek answered, standing up to cross his arms and lean against his desk.

Emily leaned against her swivel chair fiddling with a pencil, "That's because we didn't have one. She looks young and guessing from how she hesitated when she walked in this must be her first serious job. Strauss wouldn't hire a young, inexperienced profiler."

Reid faked offense, "Hey, what about me? I joined the BAU at twenty-two; young _and_ inexperienced."

"Ok, Strauss wouldn't hire _another_ young profiler," Emily corrected herself, "she would think it would be detrimental to the team. And you're different Reid. You have an eidetic memory and like, what, three PhDs and a BA?"

The sound of heels clicking stopped in front of Reid's desk, revealing a smiling JJ. She laid a hand on the back of Reid's chair, "Actually three PhDs and _2_ BAs." She and Reid shared a smile in greeting. "Hey Spence. So what did I miss? You guys seem uncharacteristically excited for a Monday morning."

"A new member of the team just walked in." Derek explained, "Seeing her legs I honestly don't mind." His flirtatious side seeped through and Garcia playfully slapped Derek's shoulder, "Hey, hey, I was just kidding. She ain't my type, Garcia."

Emily held up her hands and looked at everyone, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know if this woman is a new member of the team or is just starting to work here as a regular agent."

"Oh, I hope she ends up becoming my tech assistant and I can finally have another girl to talk to when you guys are away on cases!" Penelope sighed and placed her hand on her chest, "Goodbye reruns of Once Upon A Time and Josh Dallas." JJ opened her mouth to respond when everyone heard a familiar, authoritative voice:

"I expect everyone to be working on their reports of the last case. If I'm not mistaken it is not lunch time yet and five minutes till does not mean start conversating with one another." Hotchner commanded in his no-nonsense tone. Everyone immediately fell silent and looked at their boss who was standing on the upper floor in front of his office and staring down at the team with his famous Hotchner glare. A chorus of 'sorry Hotch' echoed from below and everyone dispersed; sitting back in their assigned desks and Garcia and JJ walking off.

The Unit Chief turned around to head back into his office where the newcomer resided. Reid, Morgan, and Emily were pretending to work on their reports as they watched their Unit Chief through the window of his office. Hotch and the woman introduced themselves, the women nodding her head and giving a small bow instead of the traditional handshake. They sat in their respective seats and Hotch began talking while the female barely nodded every so often. As usual, Hotchner's expression was stern and professional while the brunette's was slightly nervous but blank, but she did crack a small smile right before Hotchner turned to open the door. At that moment, the agents turned to their computers and realized it was a couple minutes passed their break. The brunette followed behind Hotch, box in hand and skirt billowing behind her as she struggled to keep up with Hotch's fast strides to the team's circle of desks. Hotch stopped near Reid's desk, and the brunette quickly caught herself from running into Hotch's back.

"Reid, Prentiss, Morgan." Hotch began to get the agents' attention. They all looked up from their computer or folders to Hotch's face. "This is Agent Townshend from the FBI academy. She's a trainee who will be temporarily joining our team - this decision personally approved by Strauss. Show her around and introduce her to the others agents. Luckily we don't have a case right now so take all the time you need." Hotchner turned to leave but looked back, "Oh, and no physic tricks in the office, Reid."

Reid gave Hotch his best puppy-eyes and smiled awkwardly, "Yes sir."

The raven-haired man left the four of them, heading back to his office. The brunette woman, now known as Townshend, stared awkwardly and slightly wide-eyed at the three agents who she would now call teammates. Emily was the first to stand up and grab her hand for a shake, "Hello, my name is Emily Prentiss. Nice to meet you and congrats on joining the FBI." She introduced herself with a smile. Townshend shook back with as much enthusiasm as she could muster without making it seem like she was trying to be Alpha Dog and without dropping her box. She wouldn't normally shake hands as a greeting but Emily's lunge was too quick to politely decline.

"Sarah Townshend, as you've heard. And thank you. Also, do you know which desk is mine? This box is kinda a pain to carry around." Sarah smiled back shyly, quickly releasing Prentiss's hand.

"Oh, just pick a random empty desk. That's what we all did when we were new. Oh, but I don't recommend the one with the white stain on top." Emily laughed at Townshend's stunned face as she was about to set her box down on the exact desk with the stain. Sarah gave Emily a curious look, but Emily just shrugged, "You _do not_ want to know."

Townshend nervously giggled and turned her head away, and went for the desk near Reid's. "Mind of I sit by you?" She said as she set her things down.

"Oh not at all. But statistically speaking, during the autumn and winter seasons, the chances of catching a cold is increased 85% as one theory suggests that as it gets colder outside, we tend to huddle closer together than normal inside to keep warm, but the close proximity allows for the easier transmission of germs. Another theory is that the cold weakens our immune system-"

"Okay, enough Pretty Boy." Morgan said as he got up to head to the break room, "We don't want to scare away our new teammate."

Sarah was paying attention to Reid, staring at him as he spouted information, and wondered why Morgan had stopped him, "It's fine. I was actually wondering why we are more susceptible to get sick in the winter." Emily and Morgan looked at each other in disbelief while Reid looked ready to burst with tears of joy.

"Well I hope you keep that curiosity of yours because Reid is going to tell you a whole lot of random facts while you're here with us." Prentiss gave a friendly smile, then motioned with her hand to follow her and Morgan to the break room where they eat their lunch. Reid quickly got up from his chair and continued where he was caught off. When they reached the small break room, they saw the two blondes chatting and already waiting for them at their usual round table. Townshend greeted them with her characteristic nod and small bow and introduced herself;

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah Townshend. I'm going to be working with you temporarily, covering for Agent Rossi."

Penelope beamed in excitement as JJ gave a friendly smile in greeting, "Welcome to the team. I'm Jennifer Jareau but people call me JJ. I mainly profile but I'm also the Communications Liason for the team-" JJ's stomach suddenly growled and she flushed and laughed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, we can continue talking while we eat." Townshend nodded her head in understanding.

With that, everyone took their seats in this order: Reid, Emily, JJ, Garcia, and Morgan. Sarah waited, not wanting to make things awkward by accidentally taking someone's preferred seat. When everyone was seated, Sarah smoothed her skirt and sat down to the right of Reid, leaving two more empty seats.

"I'm Penelope Garcia, my chocolate thunder over there is Derek Morgan," Derek said 'hey' in reply, "Junior G-Man next to you is Spencer Reid," Reid waved in greeting, "You've already met Boss Man, who we call Hotch, and you already know David Rossi isn't here right now cause the poor man caught the flu." Sarah was about to comment but Penelope continued, "So how old are you, anyway?" she asked suspiciously, pointing her chopsticks from her box of Chinese food at her. Everyone around the table stared, waiting.

"Twenty-four." She forced a smile, playing with the purple rubber-band on her left wrist to distract herself and control anxiousness from showing on her face.

Reid gave her a sympathetic look, "Don't worry, I joined the team at twenty-two. There's nothing shameful about being young." Townshend smile appreciatively at the agent. The team began eating and chatting, mainly about their daily life outside of the FBI while explaining things to the new agent. Sarah looked around the table at everyone she would temporarily call her teammates and tried to quell the fear inside her, hoping that her curse would decide to give her this one chance at a normal life.

 _Please_ , she pleaded to herself. _For once, I need you to leave me alone._

But pleading never really worked for her, no matter how many times she tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> •"Death Itself Was Undone" is from the song Blinding by Florence and the Machine  
> •Sarah's last name "Townshend" is a reference to Henry Townshend, the main protagonist in Silent Hill 4: The Room, who is heavily hinted to have social anxiety.  
> •Josh Dallas plays Prince Charming/David Nolan from the show Once Upon A Time


	2. Case #1: Neck Bruises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized Season 7 is where Hotch meets Beth and then takes her out for Valentine's which is in February. I set the time period during October because I like cold weather. Now the story is going to have some changes from the actual show. Anyway, I got some ideas for the story, and I made up some criminal facts for the case I made up, but there is some truth in them as I do know some criminology from law studies in high school and the show itself. Any other media referenced will be at the end notes so it will make sense after you read the chapter.
> 
> Unbeta'd

**(everything onward will be edited, see chapter 5 for explanation)**

Sarah unlocked the door to Rossi's house with the key he had given her and stepped inside, plastic bags filled with chicken soup and cough medicine hanging from her elbow. It was sunset time and the chilly autumn air had made her freckled face redden and her nose stuffy and frozen. She closed and locked the door behind her and stepped into the living room: a cozy and open room with a light brown couch in the middle accentuated by decorative deep red throw pillows. She turned on the lamp situated on the side table near the couch, casting her shadow on the walls and shrugged off her dark blue pea coat onto the couch. She headed for the kitchen where she set the bags on the counter and heated the chicken soup up using the stove, and poured two bowls, placing one bowl on a tray with a water bottle from the fridge and a shot of purple medicine. She headed up the stairs and down the hall towards Rossi's room, where she saw through the open door the man sitting in bed reading a book.

Rossi looked up from his book as he heard her knock on the door, and shared a smile with her as she walked in and sat the tray near his bed, "Hey, I didn't hear you come in and you didn't call ahead so I wasn't expecting you. You know I have housekeeping to do this for me."

Sarah shrugged and smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She sat on the foot of his bed and placed her hands on her lap, her fingers fidgeting and playing with one another, "Well I know you wouldn't want to burden the housekeeping so you sent her home early. I didn't want to leave you alone in the house bedridden with no dinner and only wine to drink," she glanced at the empty wine glass at this bedside table, "But it's from a can, so it may not be up to par with your tastes." She knew how to cook some things but chicken soup was a complicated recipe for her.

The senior agent studied her for a second, "I take it that your first day of the job went well. You're fidgeting again, don't worry kiddo, they're nice people, although Hotch can be a hard-ass most of the time," he chuckled. Sarah glanced at Rossi's eyes before looking down again, she never was able to keep eye contact well.

She shook her head causing her short hair to fly around her face, "I know, it's just the first day of meeting anyone is the hardest. I just hope they don't start asking me to hang out outside of work or what I like to do in my free time." Before Rossi could comment she immediately changed the subject, "But I have been wondering why you didn't just send Ashley to take your place. She's been with the team before, and I've barely finished my defense classes to even be passable in the field."

Rossi furrowed his eyebrow, "It's true that Ashley Seaver is one of the best, but she's already had experience out in the field and focusing on her own career in a different branch. However, you have the best grades when it comes to your profiling training. Seaver may be a jack of all trades in both profiling and physical requirements, but you have the potential to be one of the very best profilers that the BAU has ever seen. Don't doubt yourself, kid. A person can work at hand-eye coordination and shooting through training, but not everyone has the mental capacity to get into the minds of an Unsub without going insane."

Pink dusted the young brunette's face as she chuckled from the compliment. Ashley Seaver had graduated before Sarah, and they had some classes together and talked sometimes, mostly just about their studies. Ashley respected Sarah's privacy while Sarah never asked Seaver about her murderous father, which both women were thankful for. At a profiling school, most wanted to get close to Ashley to study her and know about her childhood with a serial killer father, as if she was another case that was taught in class. Ashley resented it and Sarah understood natural curiosity but wondered why anyone would be so insensitive. Sarah looked up to Ashley for her high marks and could empathize with her to a certain level as they both were private people who had a esoteric air to them that could scare people away. They were close enough to have kept in contact with one another after Seaver graduated. However, Sarah is still in school and training.

"Just give it some time, I'm sure that you may even like some of the agents on the team. Garcia and Morgan can be over the top, but they mean well. Don't take Hotch's words to heart, he's only there to train you, not hurt your feelings. Emily can be intimidating as she's been through a lot but that doesn't stop her from acting out of kindness. JJ will probably mother you since you're now the youngest on the team, and Reid will talk your ear off if you let him but he'll make you a cup of coffee afterwords." Rossi encouraged with a smile on his face. Sarah could tell that he was speaking from fond memories. Rossi took his medicine with some water and began eating the soup. Sarah stood up from the bed and grabbed the wineglass off her mentor's side table.

"Thank you for the advice, I'll remember it. Now can you take mine and stop drinking wine whenever you are sick? It's not healthy and will only make your headaches worse."

Rossi's eyes shimmered, "See I didn't tell you that I always drink when I'm sick. Just stick to profiling Unsubs instead of your team mates. I'm sure Hotch told you we have a rule not to profile each other, although sometimes it's hard to shut it off. If you do just keep it to yourself, it'll save them the embarrassment that you know whether or not they got some action over the weekend."

Sarah lightly laughed, “Speaking of which, Agent Jareau-“

Rossi made a face, “I don’t want to know.”

xxx

Derek, Emily, Reid, JJ, and Garcia stood in a group at the desks. It was lunch break and Hotch was in his office working despite it. Townshend was no where to be seen as she didn't need to come in until lunch time, unless a case popped up.

Emily glanced at Townshend's desk, "Hmm, she only has one framed family photo, but it's from when she was younger. Now why would a person not use an updated family photo? Maybe she feels that the past is precious, that her life before was happier and-"

Garcia and JJ glared at Prentiss while Reid looked at her warily, "We are not supposed to be profiling our co workers!" Garcia scolded, her arms crossed over her chest.

Emily rubbed her temples and groaned as Morgan patted her on the back, "I know, I know. I feel bad now. You know I've always been naturally curious about new people. But anyway, I'm glad that we haven't been getting any cases lately but it gets so boring around here. Having a new person to profile show up is probably the most entertaining thing that has happened all week."

JJ shrugged and crossed her arms, "Of course there are a lot of folders on my desk for potential cases, but no jurisdiction has requested our help so far. All we have to do is just sit and wait." JJ’s phone began to vibrate in her breast pocket and she opened it, reading over the text sent to her, "Well, what do you know. We got a new case guys."

Reid looked up from his book, "Well, I guess this is the perfect time to bring up the saying ‘ask and you shall receive’."

"We got a case?" Everyone jumped and turned around to see Sarah Townshend standing behind them, a curious look on her face. Her thick brown hair was clipped back from her face with a barrette with an orange leaf design on each side of her head. She was wearing a dark purple oversized wool sweater and brown pants, with green sneakers. She looked more like a college student than an FBI agent, but then again Penelope Garcia didn’t exactly adhere to the dress code either.

“Yeah. When a case pops up we head to the round table room for briefing.” Morgan explained, and with that Hotchner walked out of his office and announced to everyone to head to the room. As everyone became situated in their seats, much like the layout of everyone from lunch the day before, Hotch grabbed the remote control to the projector and began the briefing. Everyone had a folder of the current evidence in front of them as well as a tablet to swipe through the pictures of the victims. Everyone used the tablets while Reid looked through the folder first.

“There have been three murders in New Orleans so far in the past week, the first two bodies appeared two days apart while the last appeared a day after the second. Two females and one male, all white, and in their mid 20s. All have defense wounds, and ligature marks around the hands, ankles, and neck. They all appeared to have died from strangulation. None have been sexually assaulted. All of the victims’ families said that they never returned home after going to the same nightclub, Marius de Romanus.” Hotch clicked through the photos of the diseased, where they were found in the woods. One of the female victims had a brown sack tied over her head, while the rest were staring at the sky with their lifeless eyes. Sarah looked at the victims’ photos, trying to hide the disgust from showing on her face. She has seen worst and far more gorier bodies in her training class, but to actually stare at someone who was recently murdered was a different story. Everyone noticed but didn’t comment, training through the BAU meant they were not supposed to hold your hand throughout the whole experience. If you couldn’t handle it, then you weren’t cut out for the job.

Emily looked up from her tablet, “Strangulation usually has a sexual component to it, but the victims haven’t been sexually assaulted. And usually sexual sadists have a specific fantasy to play out meaning that the victims’ gender shouldn’t be mixed. Bisexual serial killers aren’t usually heard of, but they would still choose one gender for their fantasy.”

Sarah spoke up, “The female victim with the sack over her head... it seems that the Unsub may have knew her personally. Covering the person’s face may be a sign of remorse, or that the Unsub doesn’t want this person to see what they truly are.”

“She was also the last victim. And for the Unsub to have switched from two days to one between the victims, either he is becoming confident or the last victim was a victim of chance and he took it. Either way, the Unsub may have a fixed schedule.” Reid added.

Morgan looked at Reid, “And if he is following that schedule, he is going to abduct another person tonight.”

“Wheels up in 30. The plane ride to New Orleans is two hours.” Hotch got up from his seat and briskly walked out the door, file and tablet in hand. Everyone began gathering their things and heading out the door. Sarah stuffed the tablet in her satchel and held the folder close to her chest. She was about to walk out when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Good work pointing out the last victim,” Emily encouraged, “Do you have a go bag with you?” Sarah looked up at Emily and felt comfort from her hand. It was a good weight on her shoulder figuratively and literally, it was a good feeling that someone actually found her useful.

“Thank you Agent Prentiss and yes I do.” Emily tilted her head and looked amused. Townshend was a mysterious woman of few words and automatically respected people in positions of authority, especially those who were much older and more experienced than her. The last sentence a complete opposite of Prentiss. However, she could tell that Townshend only respected _certain_ authoritive figures, such as those who dedicated their lives to helping and protecting others despite the chance of never coming home to their families again, but she never trusted politicians or rich people.

“Come on, I’ll walk you through procedure but the next case, I expect you to take care of yourself.” Emily guided Townshend out of the round table room and into the bullpen where everyone was grabbing things from their desks and go bags and heading towards the jet.

xxx

The team was getting settled on the jet, Hotch and Reid sitting across from each other and going over the case together, Morgan by himself listening to music, JJ and Emily together looking at pictures of Henry on JJ’s phone, and Townshend sitting by herself with her satchel in her lap. She was staring out the window, watching the clouds roll by and flocks of birds fly together in a V form. The team stuck together as a family like those birds, but Sarah just felt left out. She would take Rossi’s words of advice and see where things will lead, but at the same time the feeling of loneliness was a sense she wasn’t unfamiliar with. Hotch’s phone vibrated cutting off what he was going to say to Reid. He checked the caller I.D. and without hesitation answered it. Reid got up to give Hotch some space and walked off. Sarah flinched and immediately looked up as she heard a plop, watching as Reid sat down in front of her with a chessboard in hand, “Do you play?” he asked cautiously, Sarah concluded from a mixture of his own shyness and from testing the waters of what she was comfortable with from her own nervousness. She shook her head no.

“I’ve never been taught how to. I tried learning the moves each piece makes but I couldn’t remember enough to play.” She explained, twirling the purple rubber band on her wrist with her finger. Spencer noticed she quickly glanced up to look at his face but didn’t hold eye contact, and instead stared at the chess board at his hands while explaining herself.

“Someone tried to teach you before?” he asked, wondering at her choice of words.

A small smile immediately appeared on her face as she remembered, “Yeah. A friend from high school. We played on his tablet, and the game had to tell me how each piece moved. He let me win.” And that was all she said, before going quiet again, leaving an awkward silence between them. She glanced at Reid a couple times and a couple minutes later she asked, “Space or ocean?”

Reid was taken aback, “W-What?”

“Space or ocean? Which do you like more?” she asked again.

“In what context?”

“Any.”

“Space.” He answered, thinking about Doctor Who.

“Oh, um, I like the ocean more.” She answered nervously, wondering if he would resent her for not agreeing with him.

“Well, the ocean is a powerful and common theme throughout many cultures around the world as ancient civilizations believed that we come from the water and that water has magical properties. A theory for this is because we need water to survive as well as in our hunting-gathering days, we used the ocean as a main food source, and a ways of transportation. Water is a symbolism of cleanliness and that it could wash away our sins and help us start anew. Add to the fact, blue is a calming color and is very therapeutic. That’s why many psychologists use the color in helping patients who suffer from anxiety to calm down.” Reid ranted as Sarah stared at him in awe. She already knew all these things but she liked the enthusiasm in Reid’s voice so didn’t stop his rant.

“Um, well, a lot of people just like the ocean for it’s aesthetic beauty.” Sarah added lamely. She thought she liked the ocean for that reason but maybe there was more to it from Reid’s facts.

“Yeah, sea turtles are pretty cute. Henry loves them.” JJ added, with a smirk, glad that Reid had someone who would actually listen to him rant. Hotch finished his phone call and headed towards the group.

“Reid pointed out that there may be more than one Unsub. Whoever kidnapped the victims was a man, but the strangulation could’ve been done by a woman.”

“Um, female serial killers are usually not violent in their killings. Most of the time they will poison their victims or kill them in another subtle way.” Sarah added, “Female serial killers are more likely to pick victims who they sympathize with or see themselves in, and if the second Unsub is a woman, maybe she feels incapacitated and stuck in her life and she can’t breathe, like her victims who can’t move when they are tied down and choked.” The unit chief looked impressed at Sarah’s conclusion. The young brunette noticed the stare and looked down in shyness blushing, her bangs falling into her eyes.

Thirty minutes later, the jet landed with a soft thump and everyone looked outside to see two black SUVs waiting for them. Everyone began gathering their things into their go bags and began heading out of the jet. Hotch, Morgan, and Prentiss took one SUV with Aaron at the wheel while Reid, JJ, and Sarah took the other, JJ driving. Sarah stared out the window of the SUV in pure wonderment of the landscape of New Orleans and noticed the dazed, happy look in JJ’s eyes.

“You met your boyfriend here.” Sarah stated, not as a question causing JJ to smile and look at her through the car mirror.

“No profiling team members, remember.” She reminded, although she wasn’t mad at her.

“Sorry. You just had a look in your eyes that a person would use only for their lover.” Sarah thought out loud and blushed after she realized what she said.

“Sounds to me like you’re a hopeless romantic.” JJ profiled back, with a smirk.

The young brunette began playing with her sleeves and smiled, agreeing in silence. She stared at Reid, wondering if he ever met someone he liked or had someone he can go home to.

In Hotch’s car, Morgan looked at the Unit Chief, “You going to keep an eye out for the girl, Hotch? She may have been good enough to be hired by Strauss, but she is still inexperienced and young. She can get part of the profile wrong and we may have another couple dead bodies on our hands.”

Hotch glanced at Morgan and then forward at the road again, “Rossi picked her for a reason and I trust his judgement. This is a one in a life time chance for people like her. All of us will double check whatever she profiles of the Unsub and if she gets something wrong, we’ll correct her and move on. The only thing I’m worried about is her marksmanship skills and her being out on the field. She is just like Reid, she’s all brains but needs a guide with her gun.”

Prentiss popped up from the back seat, “I’ll keep an eye on her, y’know girl to girl. She may be more comfortable with that anyway.”

“I don’t think she cares much about that. We all know she looks up to Rossi.” Morgan said.

Emily grinned, “Oh, don’t underestimate the emotional connection that can happen between two girls.” Morgan and Prentiss laughed while a small smile appeared on Hotch’s face.

Forty-five minutes later, the team arrived at the police station that they would be working with. Everyone but Townshend was used to this, and the unfamiliar surroundings made the young agent uncomfortable. She looked around warily and tried to mimic the team’s professional aura. She just hoped she would be able to get through her first case without having a mental break down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> •Marius de Romanus, the club name, is actually a character from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicle series. The series' main setting is New Orleans which is where the first case is taking place.


	3. Case #1: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BAU team races against the clock to stop another abduction from happening at the nightclub Marius de Romanus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This case will be continued in the next chapter, it may be finished in the next chapter or the one after that. If you're a Hetalia fan then you are in for a surprise. :) I'm pretty proud of the case I made up, if I do say so myself. Also, I've noticed the chapters have been getting longer and longer.
> 
> Unbeta'd

Agent Hotchner strided up to the main police investigator of the New Orleans police station and shook his hand, “I’m SSA Hotchner with the BAU and these are my teammates, SSA Jareau, Prentiss, Morgan, Townshend and Dr. Reid.” The first three agents confidently smiled and nodded in greeting while Townshend bowed a little, smiling shyly as her hair fell in her face, and Reid waved in greeting. After introductions were exchanged between the BAU team and the investigator, the team was lead into the station and given an empty room with a table and evidence board. The investigator left the six agents alone to set up their evidence and debrief and everyone claimed their seats and began setting up the evidence. The room was the same size as the round table room back at the BAU and had big windows across one wall, shining the hot sun on the agents and heating up the room. The room was stuffy so Prentiss opened up a window, allowing the chilly winter breeze to cool it down. Reid began the geographical profile by taping up a map of the area he got from the investigator on the evidence board and used red tacs to start plotting dots of the three dump sites and blue tacs for the victims’ homes. The other profilers began going over the evidence in their folders and tablets when Morgan noticed something.

“So all three victims were found in different areas of the same forest, a forest located an hour away from the club. Considering the fact that the forest is right next to a neighborhood, why didn’t anybody see the Unsubs dump the bodies? Why didn’t the Unsubs pick a closer, more secluded area instead of risking anybody seeing them?” Morgan shook his head in confusion as he leaned up in his seat.

Prentiss shrugged her shoulder as she uncrossed her legs, “Maybe the Unsubs are confident enough that they won’t get caught. If they know the area well enough they’ll risk an a couple hours to ensure that the bodies are hard to find. I think the Unsubs grew up here. No tourist would know the area well enough to know that there is a forest right an hour away from the club.”

“The Unsubs always go to the club together,” JJ looked up at Prentiss, “The male Unsub would need to know which victim to kidnap for the female and it needs to be the right one or else the female won’t be able to see herself in the victim. The female would need to point out which victim she wanted for the male, like a customer pointing out which sheep they want to the butcher.” Everyone grimaced at the analogy.

“That would mean the female Unsub is the dominant one in the partnership and had started it all. She would have brought it up to the male Unsub at his lowest point where he must have been doubting himself.” Sarah noted, her brow furrowing in confusion, “But what would the male get out of the arrangement?” She had sat with her ankles crossed, both of her elbows on the table as she held up the evidence folder, effectively hiding half of her freckled face.

Hotch turned to Sarah who gave him her full attention by lowering the folder from her face, “Typically in duos like this, the male is looking for a mother figure in his life, usually because he never had one or because the mother he did have was abusive or negligent,” Aaron explained, “Aside from that, the male Unsub may feel that he is impotent and emasculated in his daily life. The woman giving him the chance to kidnap and torture people makes him feel alive, powerful, and in control. But at time same time, once the female Unsub knows that we’re on to her, she will either abandon the male Unsub to save herself causing the male to commit suicide or kill the male herself to avoid a potential betrayal.” The young brunette nodded in understanding, all of the information familiar to her as she had learned it in class.

Reid looked up from the board, finished with his geographical profile, “All of the victims’ houses are in different areas of the city. I’ve circled the club, the forest, and the third victim’s house which gives us a 40 mile radius all around. If one of the Unsubs was remorseful enough to cover the third victim, maybe they knew where she lived and visited her often or even stalked her. They would most likely be living near the third victim’s home but also close enough to the club and forest. What’s interesting is that the third victim’s house is the closest to the forest and the neighborhood.” He began tapping at his chin, brainstorming and swirling the information in his head.

The Unit Chief looked at his watch and noticed it was 3:42 p.m. They didn’t have any time to spare and so he began to partner up the agents. “Morgan and Prentiss, go to the club and see if anyone saw who the victims were with that night. JJ talk to the families and friends of the victims and work on victimology. I’ll go to the dumpsites. Reid and Townshend go to the  M.E. and look at the autospy reports of the bodies. Someone may have missed something. We’ll meet back here in an hour. If you need more time call ahead.” Everyone got up grabbing their things and headed out of the station where a couple SUVs where waiting for them.

xxx

Reid drove the car while Sarah sat in the passenger seat, her satchel in her lap. Reid laid his satchel in the backseat so it wouldn’t get in the way of his driving and his traveling mug of super sweet coffee was in the drink holder between them. He kept his eyes on the road but glanced at Sarah sometimes, noticing that she fidgeted and played with her fingers while looking out the front window, staring at the trees and houses but was probably thinking about multiple things at once. Her face was blank but her body gave away the signs that she was nervous. The silence in the car was a little unnerving so Reid tried to make conversation.

“Fidgeting is a common habit usually found in shy kids and young adults who are affected by nervousness and anxiety in rates that the average person doesn’t usually feel, sometimes in extreme degrees. There are a number of reasons, usually from a combination of bad past experiences dealing with other people and a lack of serotonin being produced in the brain therefore the anxiety and worriness isn’t being processed fast enough compared to the average human.” Reid didn’t notice the young agent glaring at him as he continued to ramble, “Children like this are more likely to experience social isolationism and bullying from peers and in turn may become violent and/or-”

“Dr. Reid.” Reid glanced at Sarah, who’s glare was all too similar to Hotch’s and was gripping the strap of her seatbelt with a tight fist, “Can you not get into my personal life. I’d rather open up on my own terms.” Reid blinked and turned his full attention back to the road, quietly berating himself. He himself didn’t like sharing his past, especially when he first met the team. He kept his secrets in the beginning, one about his mother and two when he was taking dilaudid. Being secretive about the past and emotionally distant, anyone on the team could empathize with Sarah on that note, especially Reid and Hotch. He just wondered what had happened to her in her past to get her so emotionally riled up with even the mention of fidgeting habits.

“If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here. Anyone on the team you are comfortable with you can talk to. We may have only known you for two days, but you’re part of the team now and the team is family. I’m sure you can even talk to Rossi if you haven’t already.” Sarah stared out the window avoiding eye contact and blinked rapidly, trying to get her emotions in control and replaced by a blank mask like she always did. She never talked to Rossi about the past, but she suspected he already knew and just never mentioned it. She appreciated that. She didn’t need to explain herself and her actions to him, and he still cared and understood her without a single word having to be uttered. She liked profilers in that sense. With one glance, they already knew and no explanation was needed.

Sarah looked at Reid with a watery smile, “I’ll remember that.” Reid smiled and nodded his head in understanding, and began talking about random statistics about the ocean, which Sarah perked up at and listened to without interruption unless she had a question.

xxx

JJ was sitting on the dark blue couch in the first victim’s home across from the victim’s eldest brother, Berwald, a handsome, tall, blue eyed, blonde man who wore glasses and a blank expression. The house was neat and decorative, family photos everywhere on the walls and tabletops revealing a big smiling family of four brothers and Berwald’s significant other. The walls were a lovely shade of blue accentuated by a single white stripe running across the middle and there was a cabinet full of decorative glass plates and vases. Berwald explained that the two youngest brothers were away at school and that his partner, Tino, was upstairs lying in bed and didn’t want to talk to anyone.

“I just can’t believe that this would happen to him. He was an idiot deadbeat but he was getting his life together.” Berwald explained, rubbing his face trying to hold in his emotions, “He finally got a job at the supermarket and even said he met someone that he was interested in. I know this is affecting Tino the hardest. He just loves everyone so openly and wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s been laying in bed for the past couple of days, just staring out the window, not wanting to talk to anybody. He used to be such a talker.”

JJ gave the man a sympathetic look and gave him a moment to collect himself. She began talking after he looked up at her, “Was Mathias the kind of person who was outgoing? Who would pick someone up at the bar or follow someone home?”

The blonde Swedish man chuckled, “That describes him to a T. However, he never brought anyone to the house because we always had Emil and Lukas here, but he often hooked up with strangers at the club and would go to their houses.” JJ nodded that she understood and continued.

“Did he ever mention anyone’s name that you can remember? Someone he would see repeatedly.”

“No. He never said who he was with and he made a rule for himself that he never went with the same person twice. He was bisexual so he would go out with both men and women.”

“Did he know the other two victims? Feliciana Vargas and Natalia Braginski?”

“No. He never mentioned those names before. He never really hanged out with anyone unless they were one night stands.”

After their questioning, JJ thanked him for his time and gave him her business card, urging him to call if Tino didn’t feel better. She headed out to visit the second victim’s, Feliciana Vargas’s, roommate at her college dorm. Her roommate, Monica, explained that Feliciana was a smart and easily excitable girl who only went to the club to get drunk and she never hooked up with anyone sexually. Her and Monica had met Natalia in one of their classes but they did not know Mathias. She revealed that the club was a hot spot for the college students to get wasted at and that Monica was supposed to go with her that night but she had a paper that was due the next day. JJ comforted her as she broke down crying, revealing that she was going to ask her childhood friend out and tell her her true feelings for her but now she was dead and she wanted the bastard who did this to her to go to hell. JJ gave Monica her business card and told her to call if she remembered anything else or needed someone to talk to and left to the third victim’s house.

JJ was just exiting the building when her phone began to vibrate.

“This is Agent Jereau.”

“Oh wonderful sorceress of all things holy, this is yours truly with some interesting information that I’ve dug up on the club.” JJ smiled at Penelope’s antics as the technical analyst stared at her computer screen reading off the newspaper article she found with the headline ‘Suicide Hanging in Popular Night Club’, “Two months ago there was a 21 year old female by the name of Madeline Bonnefoy who committed suicide by hanging herself in the club’s bathroom. The police believed she used the rope that held up the paintings found in the bathroom to use as a noose. What’s weird however is that she was accepted into Harvard. Now why would someone suddenly commit suicide when they were just accepted into a prestigious school for the gifted?”

“That is definitely strange. Madeline may have been the Unsubs’ first victim but it was covered up to look like a suicide. I’ll talk to the girl’s family, see if they know anything.”

“It doesn’t say in the newspaper who her family is but I did manage to find out that her father is Francis Bonnefoy who works at a famous french restaurant a couple of blocks from the club. He’s a single father who adopted Madeline when she was a baby. There’s no mention of a wife anywhere.”

“Thanks Garcia. I’ll head to the restaurant right after I talk with the third victim’s family.”

xxx

Morgan and Prentiss were at the club, Prentiss talking to the bar manager who was getting the place set up and Morgan walking around trying to reenact the Unsub. The bar was empty of customers as it didn’t open till 8:00 at night and even then, the bar manager explained, the club’s popular hour wasn’t until 10:00 where most of their customers would arrive. The nightclub had a bar made of wood in the middle and a giant dance floor near the entrance way. Beams on the ceiling revealed that there was a two lofts on the second floor and there was a catwalk above connecting  them. The lights hung from the bottom of the catwalk and lofts.

“Did you notice a couple comprised of a male and female acting suspicious? They would be looking around the club as if they were looking for someone, maybe the female would be pointing at others from a distance. They would be regulars here but they weren’t always. They would have started coming here about one or two months ago.”

“You’ve just described half of the customers here. You’d be surprised by how many couples are looking for threeways these days.” Yao Wang, the bar manager explained. The female agent smiled and shook her head in disbelief.

“You would notice this couple. They would even stay for hours at a time more-so than the average patron. The interactions between them would seem a little abnormal, the woman would leave and the man would wait a couple minutes before talking to a random stranger. He would coerce the stranger into leaving with him, maybe after buying them a couple drinks or touching them sexually.”

Yao rubbed his chin in thought for a moment and sighed in defeat, “I’m sorry, I can’t remember. I’ll get in touch with my brother, the other bar manager, and look through the security footage and call if I see anyone fitting your description.” Prentiss thanked the Chinese man, gave him her business card, and headed over to Morgan who was striding around the open dance floor with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Okay, I’m the male Unsub. I would be looking around for anyone that might please my girlfriend, but I would wait for her to pick someone out. I can get a good look at everyone around the club from the bar or the catwalk above us.” He crossed his arms while Prentiss stuffed her hands in her pants’ pockets, “The female Unsub would go for the ones that already had too much to drink or would get them drunk. She would also pick those who didn’t come in with a big group of friends who would distract the victim.” He walked to the entrance and looked through the glass door, “There would be a car outside with my girl at the wheel so we had a quick getaway.” He pushed the door open and walked out the club with Emily in tow, the both of them putting on their sunglasses.

“Now we just need to know where they take their victims.”

xxx

Reid parked the car near the Medical Examiner’s building and turned to the younger agent, “You ready?” he asked, knowing that for every agent the first body was always the hardest. Sarah looked him in the eye and nodded in reply, her thick hair moving with the motion. Reid knew that she was serious and with that they headed inside. The M.E. was a young brunette man with his hair tied back from his face and green eyes. He introduced himself as Dr. Toris Laurinaitis, Reid waving at him and Sarah giving a shallow bow in greeting. He guided the two agents into a white room that smelled of chlorine and the distinct smell that Sarah would now remember as bodily fluids and preserved death. The light was dim as it shone down at three metal tables, each one with a body on them covered with a white thin blanket. Near one of the bodies was a smaller metal table with medical equipment on top. Sarah looked around the room, noticing that there were shelves filled with jars of different liquids ranging from yellow with a tinge of red to green to orange. Others had body parts in them from victims who donated their organs and were being preserved for transplants. She stopped walking, Reid stepping closer to the table and away from her for a couple steps before he realized she wasn’t near his side. He turned and gave her a sympathetic look. She looked back with shame and looked down at her feet.

“Please, just- just give me a moment.” She pleaded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She then opened her eyes and continued walking, and when she reached Reid he gave a pat to her back and they began walking together to the table. Dr. Laurinaitis smiled, holding back a laugh.

“First case?” he asked. Sarah shyly smiled back and nodded. “Ok, brace yourself.” He warned, before uncovering Mathias Køhler’s body, his crotch covered by a smaller sheet. The young brunette agent stared at his sheet white face and blue lips. The M.E. had closed his eyes and his mouth hung slightly open. Around his neck was a ring of deep purple bruising tinged with yellow, green, and black spots, the spot where he was strangled to death. The same rings were around both his wrists and ankles and he had cuts and bruises on his forearms, hands, and fingers. He had a couple hickies on his collar bone and stomach. Sarah covered her nose and mouth with her sweater’s sleeve as her nose was assaulted with the smell of preservation chemicals and bodily liquids.

“I’ve concluded that the victim was strangled by rope as you can see here the ridge pattern on his neck, ankles, and wrists. It can take anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes for a person to die of strangulation. He tried fighting back his assailant with his hands and forearms but I found Rohypnol in his bloodstream leading me to believe that it was slipped into his drink and it began to take affect, causing the victim to be sluggish and defenseless. The hickies on his body may have been caused by the Unsub as well but I can’t deny or confirm that at this time.”

“The date rape drug.” Sarah concluded, referring to the Rohypnol.

“Did you find anything else on his body that could indicate where he was killed?” Reid asked, leaning over the body to get a better look at him. The medical examiner shook his head.

“I’ve only found dirt and leaves left by the woods he was found in.” He explained, “The same goes for the second victim. I’ve concluded the same thing with her, except she did not have any hickies. However, I have yet to check the last body. I’ll keep you updated if I find anything.”

“May we see the last victim?” Sarah asked. The doctor nodded and headed over to the last body. He pulled up the sheets making sure to keep the smaller sheets covering her breasts and groin from slipping. Her white blonde hair was splayed around her angelically, an angel of death. She looked the same as Mathias, except she only had one hicky on her neck below the purple ring. What was also different was the purple bruise marks of the shape of a hand on her upper arms and left hip.

“The Unsub must have grabbed her hard enough to leave bruises. He knew her and was the roughest with her compared to the other two.” Sarah concluded, eyeing the bruises, “That shows he was mad at her and yet... he still showed remorse and covered her head with a sack.” The doctor grabbed a pair of gloves and began examining the girl. He moved her hair to check her ear when a small clank was emitted, echoing in the room. A small screw had fell from her hair.

“Well what do you know.” The doctor smirked, “They always _screw_ something up one way or another, haha.”

Sarah grinned and laughed through her nose while Reid looked at the doctor un-amused at his pun, “Can we have that bagged up? There could be fingerprints of the Unsub left on the screw.”

“Sure thing.” The doctor said, picking the screw up and dropping it into a plastic evidence bag. He handed it to Reid. As they were leaving the building, Reid called Garcia up and told her to analyze the screw once she received it. Sarah stopped in front of the passenger door of the car looking over the hood at Reid with a smirk plastered on her face.

“What?” he asked.

“They always screw up one way or another. This son of a bitch and her lapdog is going to prison.” Reid stared at her in shock as she stepped into the car. What a mouth she could have when she was smug or angry.

xxx

The third victim’s house was two stories and the yard was very well kept. As JJ walked up to the house, she saw a man with white blonde hair and purple eyes on the porch, drinking a bottle of vodka. She approached cautiously, prepared for anything that could happen. She presented her badge to the man.

“Hello, I’m Agent Jereau from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. You must be Ivan Braginski. I was wondering if I can ask you a few questions about Natalia Braginski?” The vodka bottle stopped midway from touching his lips again and he lowered the bottle down, looking up at the woman with sad, tired eyes.

“I’ve already answered the police’s questions.” He answered with a thick Russian accent, “What more do you want to know?” He got up and headed inside his house, leaving the door open for JJ to walk in with him. Inside, the house was cosy and obviously had a Russian design. Matryoshka dolls lined up on top of the fireplace and the books on the living room bookshelf were all in Russian. The man plopped down on the brown couch and ran his fingers through his mussed hair. Jareau sat beside him as there wasn’t a seat in front of him.

“Sir, we believe that your daughter was killed by two people and that your daughter knew one of those people. Helping to find that man can help us bring justice to her and end the killings once and for all.”

The man turned to JJ and gave her a wry smile, “Natalia was not my daughter, she was my baby sister. Our parents died a long time ago and me and my older sister had taken care of her ever since. My poor Natalia. That was the first time she had ever gone to that club, and now she is forever gone.” He began to sob in his hands and JJ rubbed his back gently. It took a couple minutes for him to calm down and he again turned to her looking sadder than ever, “You believe that whoever done this to my sestrichka knew her?” JJ nodded.

“Do you remember anyone who had a grudge against her? Who wanted to hurt her or anyone who you saw lingering outside the house?”

“Oh, my sweet little sister had a fiery personality and an even hotter temper. She probably had more people who hated her than she had friends. She was always bullied from elementary to high school and some even came to our house to egg it.”

“This man we are trying to look for. He should be white and around Natalia’s age. He would probably have met her at her college or high school or someplace else that Natalia liked to go. He would not approach her but he would stare at her. He would act like a gentlemen and he would always respect her wishes. It’s in his submissive nature.”

The man closed his eyes and tried to think, “Wait. Natalia had just broken up with a boy a couple months ago. She said that he was kind to her but she did not want to have a distant relationship as they were going to different states for colleges. I’ve only ever caught him outside the house once.”

“His name Mr. Braginski.”

He looked her in the eyes as she unconsciously held her breath, “Gilbert Beilschmidt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> •All of the characters in this chapter who weren't from Criminal Minds are from the Anime Hetalia: Axis Powers.


	4. Case #1: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got writer's block and I seriously didn't know know how to write this chapter but I pushed myself and succeeded! The case will be finished in the next chapter as I want to keep the chapters a consistent length, if not just for this case.  
> Also thanks for all the kudos and bookmarks that this story has received! It really means a lot to me knowing that there are people that actually enjoy reading what I write!
> 
> Unbeta'd

After speaking with Ivan Braginski, JJ gave her condolences and business card and headed out to the car. She checked her watch and headed over to Angleterre, the French restaurant where Francis Bonnefoy worked. She headed inside and took in her surroundings. Angleterre was soothing, from the soft brown walls that held colorless photos of famous French musicians and actors from history to the slow traditional European music. The lighting was low giving a romantic and private ambience and each clothed round table held candles for added sensuality. All the customers were dressed nicely, men in suits and women in elegant dresses and many were drinking red wine. There was a young woman working at the front podium with the name tag ‘Lucille’. She had her long grey-brown hair braided and laying on her left shoulder, a red bow on the left side of her head, blue eyes, and small spectacles. JJ discreetly opened her FBI badge to Lucille and asked her to escort her to Francis Bonnefoy.

“Luckily you showed up during his break.” Lucille said as she guided JJ to the back kitchen, “I hope he isn’t in trouble. He’s a really nice man Ms. Jareau. He’s gone through some troubling times lately, but he never forgets to be kind to those around him.”

“He isn’t in any trouble.” JJ assured as they headed out the back door and into a small brick alleyway. A middle aged blonde man with stubble and sad blue eyes was smoking and staring blankly off into the distance, looking like he was contemplating the meaning of life. Maybe he was.

“Francis. An FBI agent is here to see you.” Lucille said gently, causing Francis to look up at her and JJ with wide eyes. He quickly threw his cigarette to the ground and squished it with his shoe. Lucille left the two to privacy and headed back inside. Francis crossed his arms and looked at the blonde agent with worried eyes.

“This is about my baby Madeline, oui?” He asked. JJ nodded her head and used a sympathetic voice to convey sensitivity.

“Mr. Bonnefoy, I’m Agent Jareau from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I know this is hard for you, but I think your daughter has something to do with the case we are currently working on.” JJ explained, “I believe your daughter was murdered by a man and woman who are abducting and strangling others from the club that Madeline was found at the night of her death. My team and I are rushing to find the two before they abduct someone again tonight.”

Francis nodded and rubbed a hand over his face.“I didn’t want to believe she would commit suicide. We didn’t have the best family situation but we were financially set and she seemed so happy. She was shy and didn’t have many friends but the ones she did have she was very close to. If she was unhappy, then I can only think of one thing that might have caused her to hang herself.” He explained, unshed tears forming in his eyes.

“She wasn’t upset that she didn’t have a mother?”

Francis rubbed at his eyes, “She never complained. I was once married, and my husband, Arthur, and I raised her together. But we had split up six months ago due to personal issues. We’d hardly see eye to eye anymore and we always fought, sometimes even in front of the kids. I didn’t want Madeline to see that so we divorced and he took the twins while I kept Madeline. I allowed the twins to stay with Arthur because they were the closest to him than with me. However, we would take turns dropping our kids off to my and his house so they would still be able to see each other. They also went to the same high school.”

“Was there anyone that you know that may have had a grudge against Madeline? Someone who you think is capable of doing this to her?”

Francis looked mortified at the suggestion, “Non, no one I can think of! She was a sweet girl who kept to herself most of the time. She volunteered at the homeless shelter and made everyone smile even if she wasn’t trying, which was most of the time, and she didn’t even notice she was doing it. She usually wouldn’t go to a nightclub but she was out celebrating her acceptance into Harvard with two of her friends.”

“Maybe one of them saw who was with her that night.” JJ suggested, grabbing her notepad and pen, “Can you tell me the name of the friends?”

Francis tried to recollect his memory for a moment, “There was one female and one male. The man’s name was Gilbert Beilschmidt and the female was named Elizabeta Hedervary.” JJ wrote the names down and thanked Bonnefoy for his time. She gave him her business card and was about to leave when he stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder and pleading eyes. “Please, just bring in whoever did this to her. I cannot sleep knowing that those monsters are still out there hurting others. I want Madeline to rest in peace in heaven.”

“We are trying our best Mr. Bonnefoy. I assure you, we will find whoever did this to her.”

xxx

A little over an hour later at 4:45 p.m., Reid and Townshend headed into the station finding Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ already sitting at the round table discussing what they found. The window was still open and the breeze had cooled the room down. Sarah rubbed her arms together, thankful that she decided to wear a sweater that day.

“What did you guys find?” Prentiss asked, twirling the pen she was holding around her fingers.

Reid headed towards the evidence board and began writing down their findings as Townshend sat down near Prentiss, “A screw was found in Natalia’s hair. I sent it to Garcia who is analyzing it now for potential fingerprints.” Reid answered.

“Natalia was the most bruised up compared to the other two victims.” Sarah explained, looking worried, “Unsub #2 was definitely angry towards her. I’m guessing she didn’t return his feelings at one point or he believed that they had a relationship when really she didn’t even like him or knew he existed. The coroner also found Rohypnol in Mathias but not in the female victims.”

“The female Unsub didn’t care if the male victim was conscious when she strangled him.” Everyone turned to Hotch as he walked into the room, “However for the female victims, she needed them to know they were dying.”

“She wanted the female victims to know the pain she herself was feeling.” Sarah concluded after him. Hotch walked over to Reid and crossed his arms, studying the board. Prentiss, Morgan, and JJ had written their findings on it before Reid and Townshend arrived. The name Gilbert Beilschmidt was sprawled on the board and circled, a line from the circle was connected to another circle with the title ‘Unsub #1’. Under the name was a picture of a young man with white blonde hair and reddish eyes. Some distinguishable features he had was a smirk and his obvious albinism. He was definitely attractive and well built, maybe from playing a sport. Two other names were written near Gilbert’s: Madeline Bonnefoy and Elizabeta Hedervary, both Gilbert and Elizabeta were squared off and labeled ‘Madeline Bonnefoy’s friends’. On the other side of the board were the pictures of the victims before and after they were diseased, and notes on the Unsubs. Hotch began writing down what he found at the dumpsite: the bodies were dumped without being covered in any of the surrounding leaves, meaning the Unsubs were in a hurry or they didn’t care if the bodies were found. They were all dumped at approximately 2:40 to 3:00 in the morning, the day after they were kidnapped.

“Madeline Bonnefoy died at the same club two months ago,” JJ began, “She was found hanging in the bathroom with the rope that was used to hang the bathroom pictures up. The cops wrote it off as a suicide but her father, Francis Bonnefoy, said she never displayed any symptoms of suicidal ideation.” Sarah scrunched up her nose, “She was also accepted into Harvard and was out at the club celebrating with her friends. She was the type of girl who wouldn’t go out to a night club otherwise. I got the names of who she was with at the club at the time, at least the ones Bonnefoy knew was with her. There were only two, Gilbert Beilschmidt and Elizabeta Hedevary.”

“So she could have been a test run. The first victim.” Morgan concluded, “Her two friends could be the Unsubs.”

Aaron turned to the team with his arms crossed, “Either way, the Unsubs should be around 21 to 30. Both white. The male is attractive and a charmer and feels power when he seduces these men and women. He is most likely heterosexual, but he doesn’t care about gender because he gets whoever the female Unsub chooses. The female opened this world to him, so he respects her and puts her needs above his own. He may not even realize he is doing this, but we can use this to our advantage. The female Unsub will most likely choose a female victim tonight as two out of the three victims were female. We need to get some club wear for when we go undercover at the nightclub.” At that, Sarah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, looking around with a silent question. Prentiss noticed this and turned to her.

“When we get called in for a case that requires a group to go undercover, we are usually the ones that do it. We are the only ones who know exactly who to look for.” She explained, “We still give a profile for the cops but having too many undercover cops might blow our cover. If we need to have cops with us, we employ as few as possible.”

“Oh.” Sarah answered lamely, pink tinting her cheeks. Not knowing something that everyone else did made her feel incompetent and embarrassed. She was usually the one in high school who knew something that no one else did, but she was also the one who didn’t like to speak up even if she knew the right answer. In college, she learned to speak up a little more, as it was required in a job where you needed to juggle ideas with your team to catch serial killers.

It took everyone thirty more minutes to complete the profile and the team decided to head out for a quick lunch at a nearby sandwich joint. Everyone sat in a big booth, Sarah feeling completely out of place. Most of the team made conversation besides Hotch and Sarah, Hotchner keeping quiet as a choice and Sarah not being able to come up with anything worthwhile to say. As Morgan and Prentiss told jokes, she would smile and laugh but quickly wipe the expression off her face when she could. She listened to Reid ramble about random statistics and facts on the discovery of fire and pouted when Emily or Morgan interupted him. As they were eating their sandwiches, what-if scenarios ran through Sarah’s mind making her feel sick. She feigned nonchalance on her face but under the table she rang her hands together in her lap and twirled her purple rubber band around her wrist with her finger. She barely ate. When they arrived at the hotel they were assigned to stay in, Prentiss and JJ decided to room together and Morgan and Reid paired up, leaving Sarah to room with Hotch. Before she walked through the doors of the BAU bullpen for the first time she knew that the older profilers would intimidate her, but Hotch intimidated her the most with his silent, strong demeanor, his no nonsense professionalism, and his experience and years in profiling and in the field. She imagined he would make a very frightening and creepy Unsub.

Hotch headed to the bathroom while the young agent dropped her go bag on the bed furthest away from the door. She took off her shoes before settling on the bed with her back to the headboard and crossed her legs. She took out her sketchpad and began to draw to calm her nerves. Hotchner walked out of the bathroom, his jacket off and tie undone in his hand. Sarah glanced at him and blushed. He _was_ very handsome, especially in a suit, but she would keep a level head. Fraternization wasn’t really allowed in the BAU, even if Penelope and Kevin were together. Besides, she wasn’t the type to date or initiate a relationship be it romantic or friendship and preferred to binge watch anime and tv shows or read. Yes, she did have a few friends like Ashley Seaver from the FBI Academy or Sherlock, her friend from high school, but she chose to keep to herself. A knock was heard at the door and the Unit Chief opened it. A police officer from the station handed over two plastic bags and left.

“Sir?” Sarah asked in curiosity. He walked over to her, the relaxed expression on his face a far cry from his usual glare and handed over one of the bags.

“Clothes for the club.” He answered, raising his eyebrows making him look generally sincere, “And please you can call me Hotch. Everyone on the team calls me by my nickname and you’re part of the team now.” Sarah nodded and looked down, her hair falling in front of her face. She turned her attention to the plastic bag.

“Sir, I’d prefer it if I was allowed to just call you Sir for now. I don’t really like nicknames.” She explained, daring not to look up as she looked at the clothes she would be wearing.

He hummed in acknowledgement and sat on his bed, “That’s fine by me. We’re going to change here before we head to the club and bug ourselves with hidden microphones to communicate with each other. Some of the agents will carry a hidden gun, but it depends how revealing the outfits are. If the Unsubs see a gun, they will immediately know something is up and leave.” He explained to the newbie, thinking about Elle Greenaway on the rapist case.

Sarah looked at him but he wasn’t looking at her. She could see that he was remembering something from the past that pained him to recollect. She saw the lack of a wedding ring on his finger despite the indentation revealing there used to be one for a long time. She suspected the two cases weren’t related, but it was still interesting to deduce. She remembered the lack of a family picture on his office desk, but there _was_ one frame and it was the picture of a young blonde boy, probably no more than eight years old. She turned away, feeling guilty that she just profiled her boss. She picked up her sketchpad and continued to draw, trying to keep the guilt and worriness within herself at bay, hoping he didn’t catch her.

xxx

It was almost 10:00 p.m. as the team was setting up in one of the private backrooms of the club. Emily looked attractive in the classic short, tight black dress while JJ’s dress was flowy and dark blue, Emily’s shoulders were exposed while JJ’s was covered in flowy short sleeves. Reid donned a soft brown blazer over a white dress shirt and black trousers with suspenders. Hotchner wore a low cut shirt that showed off his collar bone with a leather jacket and tight pants. On Morgan was something similar; a tight black shirt, a leather jacket, and pants. The women would keep their guns in purses while the men would carry theirs in the inside pockets of their jackets. Townshend had put on a loose, short-sleeved shirt tucked into a purple skirt with suspenders that reached mid thigh, nude thigh highs, and white shoes. Her gun issued by Erin Strauss was in the satchel purse she had over her small chest. Emily was attaching a hidden microphone in the inside of Townshend’s shirt, which everyone else had already done, and giving her advice. Outside the club was a hidden police van that would be recording potential evidence that could be used against the Unsub if they were encountered. The team was discussing where they would be in the club and when they would meet up with each other.

“Look out for a man who will most likely be approaching women but do not rule out him approaching men. Ask around if anyone has seen or has been propositioned by someone who fits the profile of the second Unsub.” Hotch reminded everyone, “Remember if the male Unsub approaches you, do not mention that you are with a group. Only as a last resort, get him to escort you out of the club. If he heads for a car with a woman at the wheel, call for backup immediately.”

After everyone was ready Morgan opened the door.

The beating techno music was so loud the nightclub floor was thumping in sync with the beat as the flashing multicolored rays of light were slicing through the darkness of the club, bouncing off the team and club members. The place was crowded with loud, scantily clad, and sweaty young adults. Most were at the dance floor or walking around trying to hook up with strangers. Those who came with friends sat at the lounges, some were alone at the bar drinking, and even more were up on the second floor and cat walk. The older team members radiated calmness and composure as they splitted up to their posts. Morgan headed to the dance floor, Reid walked to the lounges, JJ to the bar, Emily went up the stairs to the second floor, and Hotch climbed up to the second floor cat walk above everyone. Sarah felt her pulse race like a hummingbird and her throat tighten. She took a deep breath and tried to calmly walk around and through the crowds of people, pretending that she was looking for a stranger to hook up with. She glanced at Morgan and saw him dancing with a couple female strangers while he scanned the area. She walked in a zig zag line as she was bumped back and forth as she tried to navigate through the crowd, checking for anyone who might fit the profile. She turned around to check on Reid when suddenly she was unable to breath or see. She jumped back and realized she had just face planted into a man’s, no less a complete stranger’s, chest.

“Hey, watch where you’re heading sweety.”

She blushed and glanced up at the man’s face to apologize but did a double take. She stared at the man’s red eyes and signature smirk and realized it was Gilbert Beilschmidt, one of Madeline’s friends and the team’s main suspect. Sarah immediately glanced away and berated herself for being obvious.

“I’m sorry. I’m just looking for someone like everyone else.” She explained, trying to act non-suspicious. The man chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, Hotchner watching from atop the cat walk.

“I think I can remedy that. Come on, you can repay me by letting me buy you a drink.” The albino began guiding Sarah to the bar where JJ was talking to the bar manager, a short Japanese man with a name tag reading Kiku Honda, “Y’know, I’m a descendant of the great Prussians. The country doesn’t exist anymore but there’s a place in Canada named New Prussia.”

“Um, I don’t really drink.” Sarah turned around stopping him and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to look him in the eyes, “How about we find another girl and hit the streets. You, me, her, and the kitchen table.” That caused Gilbert to smirk and grab Sarah’s waist.

“Kesesese, you’re a kinky one! But maybe some other time. I’d rather just hang out with you here and get your number.” He wasn’t the Unsub then. He would have taken the chance but Gilbert didn’t. Sarah rocked against the heels of her feet and dropped her arms to her side.

“You don’t need it. I’m going to be seeing you around later.” She lied, and briskly walked off before he can start up another conversation. She could hear him shouting behind her but he was suddenly swept away by the crowd. Reid played magic tricks with the ladies at the lounge while questioning them and Emily began chatting with a random guy. Hotch walked to the other end of the catwalk as Emily walked on and subtly stopped near him.

“Every man I’ve talked to so far hasn’t fit the profile.” She relayed, “JJ is still talking to the barman.”

“Gilbert Beilschmidt just propositioned Townshend. He’s not the Unsub.” Hotch answered back, trusting Prentiss’s and Townshend’s judgement. The Unit Chief began watching Reid who glanced up at him and shook his head. Spencer turned away to look at Morgan who nodded his head in reply, and Reid left the lounges. Morgan grabbed his waist when Reid approached and began dancing with him, leaning close. He whispered something in his ear, looking over Reid’s shoulder.

Sarah was heading towards the bar to check up on JJ when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She felt someone’s eyes following her as she continued walking. She reached the bar and sat down at a stool and a couple seconds later a man sat on the stool next to hers. He was handsome, with a single cowlick sticking up from his wheat blonde hair and glasses framing his blue eyes. His voice sounded gentle as he ordered a drink from the barman.

“I heard you were looking for a good time.” The young brunette almost jumped as he directed his attention to her. She turned to him and noticed that he was considerably taller and stronger than she was. He sipped his drink and ruffled his hair, “I got a girl with me looking for the same thing. Wanna join?” The man reached his hand under the bar and slid his hand up her thigh, getting dangerously close to the edge of the skirt. If it was any other moment, Sarah would’ve slapped his hand off her but instead she grabbed it and stood up. Her and JJ shared a look, Sarah silently telling her to inform everyone else as the man wrapped his arm around her waist and began walking her away. JJ stood up and hurried over to Reid and Morgan while Hotch, who already witnessed the confrontation, was heading over to Prentiss.

The blonde man was walking towards the entrance doors when he suddenly changed direction and began heading towards the back of the club.

“Aren’t we supposed to be leaving?” Sarah asked, trying to hide the nervousness from seeping into her voice. The man smirked down at her and shivers ran down her spine.

“No. We’re going out the back. Much quicker for where we’re going.” He explained. Sarah glanced behind her and wondered where the hell her team mates were. They exited through the back and the cold weather engulfed her body, causing her to shiver from a combination of a lack of body heat and fear. She saw a van with a blonde female at the driver’s seat, who turned at the sound of the door closing. The predatory face she made as her gaze flickered over Sarah’s body had Sarah shaking harder. The man suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, hard enough to bruise and began carrying her to the van.

“Hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me!” Sarah yelled, trying to unhook his hand from her waist by punching and scratching at his arms. She tried to scream for help but the man covered her mouth with his other arm. Her satchel was dangling too low for her to attempt to grab at her gun. The man threw Sarah hard into the back of the van, causing her to lose her breath as she landed on her stomach. Too quickly, the man jumped in after her and shut the doors. Sarah felt the van begin to rumble as they drove off down the street, away from the worried shouts of her team members that could be heard from the front of the club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> •Of course, everyone who isn't in Criminal Minds is from the anime Hetalia: Axis Powers.  
> •The restaurant that Francis works at is named "Angleterre", meaning "England" in French. In Hetalia, Francis Bonnefoy is France while Arthur Kirkland is England and in fanfiction, France calls England by this nickname a lot. This just shows the love that they had/have for each other.


	5. Intermission: Author's Note

Hello! As you all know, I haven't updated this fic in half-a-year and I can explain. First, it became writer's block, then the news of Thomas Gibson being fired off the show discouraged me a little, and then my interest in Criminal Minds dramatically fell. I started college and it made me super busy and I've completely forgotten about this fic! However, my interest in continuing this fic renewed after re-reading it and remembering I left off at a big cliff-hanger. So I've decided to continue this fic. However, you should all know that I live in Florida and there is currently a hurricane coming my way, so I'm not going to update immediately. Also, I'm re-editing the whole thing because I think I'm a weak writer, the cast is too ooc, and I rushed everything to get to the first case. I'm going to be taking out some scenes, adding in new ones, and fixing my grammar. I'm also going to be changing up the main character's personality and mannerisms a bit because I don't think she has much personality and is a very bland character so far. I'm re-editing the first chapter right now. Sorry for the inconvience and I hope you will stick with me until chapter five comes out.


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